Things are Changing
Things are Changing: YouTube's new policies, and how that affects PWN is a video uploaded to PaulWesNick on January 19, 2018. The video is a response to the changes in YouTube's monetization policies following the Logan Paul controversy. Filmed and uploaded in only a few hours following Nick and Wesley's discovery of the new prerequisites for monetizing videos. It is a simple, vlog-style video of Nick's initial reaction, and how the changes will by affecting PWN.
Description[edit | edit source]
Background[edit | edit source]
In April of 2017, in response to the discovery of monetized ads placed on videos pertaining to Islamic terrorism, YouTube enacted a new policy requirement, stating that any channel with less than ten thousand lifetime views is ineligible for monetization. The following "Adpocalypse" was very controversial, sparking minor protest from larger YouTubers.
In December of that year, Logan Paul uploaded a series of offensive vlogs in which he insults Japanese culture and harrasses Japanese at a ritualistic temple. In the final of these vlogs, Logan enters a known "Suicide Forest", where he fully intends to record suicide victims. Despite not monetizing the video, YouTube's primary response was to again change monetization policies, vastly increasing the prerequisites for Partnership. The response of the YouTube community was far more heated in this second round of controversy, and significantly more vocal, arrousing protest from many, including notable news organizations.
Effect of the Adpocalypse on PWN[edit | edit source]
It was not until November of 2017 that Nick learned of the original 10,000 view policy changes, when it became apparent that no money had been made by the channel since March. Though initially frustrated, upon learning of the reasons behind the change, Nick understood the necessity of the change and was okay with the response.
Nick and Stephen Weinstock followed the Logan Paul controversy closely, and were privately very vocal about it. They found YouTube's response to the video as not harsh enough. Frustration with both Logan and his brother lead to extreme anger, and they saw it as only inevitable that an event such as this would occur.
After school on Friday, January 19, 2018, Lucan was with Stephen and Nick, and mentioned briefly the new changes in policy. Unaware, the three found a video by PewDiePie which explained the changes. Enraged, Nick and Lucan recorded a thirty minute voice memo expressing their reaction to the news. Nick then called Wes to let him know of the changes, and said he would record a video in response. Nick cleared a space in his room to record, and edited the video down from forty minutes of raw footage. Many of the points he makes were made in the memo beforehand. It was Stephen who initially compared the event to "The Prohibition".
Aftermath[edit | edit source]
Surprisingly, the video, which predicted a low point for PWN, was immediately followed by the highest period of activity ever experienced on the channel up to that point, with nearly one thousand views and five thousand watch minutes, as well as an increase of three subscribers. The response was largely from sympathetic friends and fans of PWN, who banded together to watch as many videos as possible, some running multiple tabs of PWN playlists at once.
Nick and Wes, though welcoming the increase, saw it as problematic, believing the views to be disingenuous. Nick was shocked to see Dare Trailer, a video typically regarded as one of the worst on the channel and perpetually at forty views, rocket up to 97 views. "It's difficult," said Nick, "to say that these view farms are wrong when YouTube has essentially provided a catalyst for something like this to happen. What else can we do when we're so small?"
PaulWesNick successfully accumulated the previously required 10,000 views on February 10th, 2018. However, it was too late, as the new policy had already been enacted, so no monetizing was achieved.